Safety locking means for speed variating mechanism of liquid dispensing apparatus



Aug. 8, 1939.

' J. H. CHAPLIN 2,168,439 SAFETY LOCKING MEANS FOR SPEED VARIATING MECHANISM OF LIQUID DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed June 5, 1937 2 Sheets-Sneet l Aug. 8, 1939.

.1 H. CHAPLIN 2 168.439

SAFETY LOCKING MEANS FOR SPEED VARIATING MECHANISM OF LIQUID DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed June 5, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 8, 1939 SAFETY LOCKING.

MEANS FOR SPEED VARIATING MECHANISM OF LIQUID DIS- PENSING APPARATUS John H. Chaplin, West Hartford, Conn, assignor, by mesne assignments, to The Wayne Pump Company, Fort Wayne, Ind., a,:corporation of Maryland Application June 5, 1937, Serial No. 146577 4 Claims.

This invention pertains to liquid dispensing apparatus and more particularly to range gear locking means for the speed variator of a liquid dispensing apparatus.

In the computingtype of meter liquid dispensing apparatus now most prevalent, the apparatus embodies indicating means for showing the price of the liquid dispensed, the number of gallons dispensed, and the current price of said liquid. The indicator is operated through a variator, which in turn is driven by a meter through which dispensed liquid passes to the dispensing hose, the liquid being supplied to said meter by some means such as a driven pump connected to a suitable source of supply. The price of the liquid of course changes from time to time, and the-variator must be set accordingly. With the variators now more commonly in use the variator is supplied with a range arm or gear shifting lever which is held in selected price position by means of a pin which extends through a suitable calibrated range plate or quadrant. If the pinis omitted, or if the pin is not inserted securely, a faulty setting is made which may or may not bereadily visible on the daily price indicating means. L

' It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a range gear locking means which permits operation of its associated part of the variator only when a proper setting and securing of the setting is effected.

Another object is to provide means forinsuring the authorized and proper setting of a computing type of liquid dispensing apparatus.

Still another object is to provide latching means for preventing dispensing of liquid or registration of 'a liquid dispensing apparatus unless a proper setting of the calculating mechanism has been effected.

With these and various other objects in view, theinvention may consist of certain novel features of construction and operation as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the specification, drawings and claims appended hereto. 7

In the drawings, which illustrate an embodiment of the device, and wherein like reference characters are used to designate like parts- Figure 1 is a fragmentary sectional elevaton of a liquid dispensing apparatus of the computing type to which the invention is applied;

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentarysectional elevation through the variating'means of a computing type of liquid dispensing apparatus embodying the invention;

Figure 3 is a sectionalv top plan view through plementary shafts of the variator, the same being taken substantially in the plane as indicated by the line 4-4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional elevation through one of the range arms, the

same showing the range gear locking device in' inoperative position, that is, where a correct setting has been made; p

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view of the range arm and locking device therefor illustrated in Figure 5.

In the computing type of liquid dispensing apparatus illustrated, said apparatus consists essentially of a casing or standard It) supported on the base l2 and within said casing there is mounted a pump ll'the suction side of which is connected through a suitable pipe It to a source of liquid supply such as the underground tank [8 through the footvalve 20. The pump is provided with the pulley 22 the rotation of which causes operation of the pump, said pulley being adapted to be rotated by the belt 24 passing over the pulley 26 of the motor 28, the motor being suitably operated by switch control means (not shown) disposed adjacent the stationary hose support 30. The outlet side of the pump is connected through the pipe 32 to the inlet side of the meter 34. The liquid passes through the meter 34 and outwarclfy through the outlet thereof, and through the pipe 36 to the dispensing hose 38 through the sight gauge 40. The dispensing hose 38 is provided with the usual dispensing nczzle 42 which is provided with the dispensing valve 44 operated by the lever 46 provided within the supporting guard 48.

When the nozzle ishung in supported position on the supporting hosehook 30, as shown in Figure 1, the switch is rendered inoperative, and it is only after removal of the hose that the pump can be started and liquid dispensed by operation of the valve 44. The passage or liquid through the meter 34 causes rotation of themeter shaft 50 which is connected to the coupling 52 .of the,

driving shaft 54 of the variator. The driving shaft 54 connected through a suitable connection .with'the quantity counters 56 of the indicating means, said indicating means being described generally in application Serial No. 23.742, filed May 27, 1935. i

In the type of variator shown, concentric'gears or a gear cone 58 are provided on the driving shaft, and a plurality (shown three) of supplementary shafts 68, 62 and 64 are mounted adjacent the driving shaft and journaled in suitable lower and upper plates 66 and 68 of the variator. These shafts may be designated respectively as the tenths cent shaft, the cent shaft, and the tens of cents shaft. The upper ends of the shafts are provided with cranks such as the crank I8, which are suitably connected respectively to the tenths cent numeral wheels I2, the cent numeral wheels 14 and the tens of cents numeral wheels I6 so that the position of the shafts 68, 62, and 64 will rotate the indioatingwheels I2, 14 and 16 2. corresponding amount to indicate the proper setting of said shafts. This setting means is particularly shown and described in the above identified application.

Each of the cranks, such as crank I8, is adapted to be moved by the respective bails I8, 88 and 82, which bails are fixedly secured adjacent the upper ends thereof to the member 84 journalled in the upper plate 68 and fixedly secured to the respective crank, members 84 forming a journal for the upper ends of the relatively rotatable supplemental shafts 68, 62 and 64. The lower ends 86 of the balls are journalled in the lower plate 66 and form bearings or journals for the lower ends of said supplemental shafts. Said bails are slidably engaged as at 88, 98 and 92 by the respective gear shifting levers 94, 96 and 98 which are slidably mounted on the respective supplementary shafts. The gear shifting levers are mounted adjacent the range plates or price calibrated quadrants I88, I82 and I84 fixedly mounted on the base plate 66. Said quadrants are provided with suitable apertures I86 disposed at the proper calibrations and being adapted to receive the positioning or range pins I88 inserted in the selected apertures and being adapted to be received in a corresponding socket II8 provided in the respective range arms whereby when said range pins are removed from the selected apertures I86 and socket II8 the gear shifting levers may be slid along the respective supplemental shafts, but when said pins are received in said apertures and socket the levers are fixed against movement.

The range arms embrace slidable pinions '2, H4 and H6 slidably but non-rotatably mounted on the respective supplementary shafts. Said pinions are adapted to be rotated by pinions II8, I28 and I22 pivoted as at I24, I26 and I28 to said range arms and being adapted to engage selected gear steps of the gear cone 58, the selected step being determined by the selected aperture I86 of the respective range quadrants. The supplementary shafts are provided with suitable gearing such as indicated at I38 which is adapted to rotate a suitable differential I32, said diiferential being connected to the price indicating wheels I34, all as particularly shown and-described in said above identified application and inapplication Serial No. 628,868, filed August 15, 1932.

The range arms are provided with the range pin receiving socket H8 and the spring pressed ball I which is disposed adjacent said socket;

II8. Inwardly of said ball there is provided a latch I35 pivoted to the range arm as'at I38,

said latch being provided with a locking edge I48 and the interrupted portion I42 disposed adjacent the stop lug I. The latch is normally urged downwardly by means of the spring I48 disposed in said range arm. 'The pin I88 is provided with the body portion I 48 having the cut out portion I58 for the reception of the spring pressed ball H2 and being provided with the cam end I52 adapted to extend within the latch space and engage the latch I36 to move the same upwardly until the cut out portion I42 registers with the teeth of the adjacent pinion I I4 to thereupon unlock the shaft 62.

In the setting of the variator, if the pin I88 is not inserted in the respective sockets H8 to its full extent, the latch I36 will be in its downward position as shown in Figure 5, that is, the lower dotted line position in which the stop lug I44 engages the range arm and the locking edge I48 will engage the gear II4 to lock the shaft 62 against movement; and, if no pin is inserted at all, movement of the driving shaft may permit the released range arm to drop to its lowermost, or zero position, which will be indicated on the daily price synchronizing wheel I2, I4 or I6, or, in the event that the respective gears II 8, I28 and I22 are not released from the cone, as for example, where the pin I88 is only partially inserted, the driven shaft will be rendered inoperative, and the indicator cannot be driven as the cone will also be locked. Inthe event friction prevents the unfastened range arm from dropping, and the gears H8, I28 or I22 do not engage the cone, the arm will be in such position that the respective daily price numeral wheel I2, I4 or I6 will not exactly register a numeral, which will be notice that a correct setting of the variator must be made. In the latter instance it has been found that no number will appear in the dial face so that the operator will know that that particular gear shift arm is not functioning,

i. e., is at zero setting. For example, referring u to Figure 1, if the tenths arm is not properly set no registration, or an unreadable registration, will appear in the tenths daily price window so that the variator will be set to compute at seventeen cents, and not seventeen and six-tenths cents as shown.

It is to be understood that I do not wish to be limited bythe exact embodiment of the device shown, which is merely by way of illustration and not limitation, as various and other forms of the device will of course be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims.

What is claimed is- 1. In a device of the character described, the combination of a driving shaft, a driven shaft, said driving shaft having concentrically arranged gear teeth thereon, a supplementary shaft disposed adjacent said driving and .driven shafts, connecting. means between said supplementary shaft and said driven shaft, shiftable means on said supplementaryshaft having means engaging said gear teeth, a driven gear on said supplementary shaft, a calibrated range plate disposed adjacent said shiftable means, latching means on said shiftable means for locking said supplementary shaft, and means cooperating with said range plate and shiftable means for selectively rendering said latching means inoperative.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination of a driving shaft, a driven shaft, said driving shaft having concentrically arranged gear teeth thereon, a supplementary shaft disposed adjacent said driving and driven shafts, connecting means between said supplementary shaft and said driven shaft, shiftable means on said supplementary shaft having means engaging said gear teeth, a calibrated range plate disposed adjacent said shiftable means, a pin for securing said shiftable means to the range plate in the selected calibration, and means forlocking said driving shaft unless said pin moves said last named means to a predetermined position.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination of a driving shaft, a driven shaft. said driving shaft having concentrically arranged gear teeth thereon,.a supplementary shaft disposed adjacent said driving and driven shafts, connecting means between said supplementary shaft and said drivenshaft, shiftable means on said supplementary shaft having means engaging said gear teeth, a calibrated range plate disposed adjacent said shiftable means, a pin for securing said shiftable means to the range plate in the selected calibration, and means on said shiftable means for locking said driving shaft unless said pin moves said lastnamed means to a predetermined position.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination of a driving shaft, a driven shaft, said driving shaft having concentrically arranged gear teeth thereon, a supplementary shaft disposed adjacent said driving and driven shafts, connecting means between said supplementary shaft and said driven shaft, shiftable means onsaid supplementary shaft having means engaging said gear teeth, a calibrated. range plate disposed adjacent saidshiftable means, a pin for securing said shiftable means to the range plate in the selected calibration, and means on said shiftable means for locking said supplementary shaft unless said pin is disposed in a predetermined position.

JOHN H. CHAPLIN. 

